HAND idioms (body idioms)

Contents

What is a hand?
hand idioms list
hand idioms list with pictures

What is a hand?

The hand is located at the lower part of the arm just after the wrist. The hand includes four fingers and a thumb. The plural is ‘hands’.

hand idioms list

Let’s look at some popular body idioms that contain the word ‘hand’.

all hands on deck
meaning – everyone is needed to help
example – The order has to be finished by Monday so it’s all hands on deck to complete it.
ask for someone’s hand in marriage
meaning – ask permission to marry someone/get married
example – I saw a receipt from the jewellery store. I think Jamie is going to ask for my hand in marriage.
catch red handed
meaning – someone sees you doing something bad
example – The diamond thieves got 10 years in prison after they were caught red handed.
dab hand
meaning – very good at something
example – My dad can probably fix it. He’s a dab hand with electronics.
eat out of the palm of one’s hand
meaning – dominate/have control over someone
example – The new teacher is great, she had the whole class eating out of the palm of her hand.
first-hand
meaning – from the original source, directly
example – I got to see first-hand what plastic is doing to our oceans.
get one’s hands dirty
meaning – do hard/manual work or something illegal
example – Karl will help you dig the hole, he loves getting his hands dirty.
get out of hand
meaning – a situation gets out of control
example – The party got out of hand very quickly. The Police arrived and shut it down.
give/lend someone a hand
meaning – help someone
example – I’m moving house at the weekend. Do you fancy lending me a hand?
golden handshake
meaning – a large sum of money given to someone retiring/being made redundant
example – My dad got a very generous golden handshake. He is going to buy a house in Spain.
hand that rocks the cradle (rules the world)
meaning – mothers have power as they influence their children’s personalities and behaviour
example – We offer free counselling sessions to all new mums, the hand that rocks the cradle…
handbags at dawn/ten paces
meaning – a dramatic/theatrical confrontation which doesn’t involve violence
example – There were handbags at ten paces on the bus earlier, I thought there was going to be a fight.
hand-me-down
meaning – clothing given to someone else after it has been used
example – Now my dad has a job, I don’t have to wear hand-me-downs anymore.
hands are full
meaning – very busy
example – Mr Mitchell’s hands are full for the next few weeks. His next available appointment is in June.
hands are tied
meaning – you can’t do something because you don’t have the power/authority
example – The headmaster wants him expelled. There is nothing I can do; my hands are tied.

hands are tied
meaning – you can’t do something because you don’t have the power/authority
example – The headmaster wants him expelled. There is nothing I can do; my hands are tied.
hands down
meaning – very easily
example – We won hands down; the other team were rubbish.
have blood on one’s hands
meaning – be responsible for someone’s death
example – The president sent the troops to war without proper weapons. He’s got blood on his hands.
have something to hand
meaning – nearby, easily accessible
example – I’ve got my details to hand. When the bank call, I’ll tell them.
have the upper hand
meaning – gain an advantage
example – My brother always has the upper hand when we fight. He is much bigger than me.
have time on one’s hands
meaning – have spare/extra time with nothing to do
example – I have no time on my hands since my son was born.
like the back of one’s hand
meaning – know something very well
example – We’ve lived in this city our whole lives. We know it like the back of our hands.
live from hand to mouth
meaning – very poor, have just enough money to survive
example – We are living from hand to mouth at the moment and we have another baby on the way.
old hand
meaning – an experienced/skilled person
example – I’m an old hand at fixing cars. I’ve been doing it for 40 years.
on hand
meaning – available to be used if needed
example – We have a team of 50 lawyers on hand 24/7 to help with all your legal needs.
right-hand man
meaning – the most valuable assistant/helper
example – I’m away for two weeks, contact my right-hand man Colin if you have any problems.
second hand
meaning – not new, from a previous owner
example – I bought a second-hand car, it’s a pile of junk.
show of hands
meaning – raise your hand to vote/answer a question
example – What is the capital of Peru? I’ll have a show of hands please.
turn back the hands of time
meaning – rewind time, remember and earlier time
example – I’ll be turning back the hands of time by wearing leg warmers and a shell suit to the party.
wait on someone hand and foot
meaning – do everything someone wants
example – I stayed in a luxury hotel. They waited on me hand and foot.
wash one’s hands of someone/something
meaning – have nothing more to do with someone/something
example – I’ve washed my hands of that gang, they are out of control.